Maidstone United great Bill Williams honoured to be awarded testimonial marking 50-year association with the club

Bill Williams says it’s a privilege and an honour to be awarded a testimonial by Maidstone United.

Williams’ 50-year association with the Stones will be marked at the Gallagher Stadium tomorrow night (Friday, 7.30pm).

Old favourites including Alex Flisher, Tom Mills and Stuart Lewis are set to appear as Williams takes to the dugout one last time.

He’ll be assisted by Peter Taylor and they’ll be up against a side managed by Jay Saunders and Steve Watt on what will be a special night for a club great.

“It’s like everything, the day you walk in, you never think I’m going to be here in 50 years’ time, let alone next year, but it’s happened,” said Williams, who first joined the Stones in 1972 as a player from Gillingham.

“It’s been a good association, with a couple of hiccups and bad times, but the majority of it has been wonderful.

“It’s never been a hardship to come into work at Maidstone United, no matter what’s going on.

“I’ve been lucky because there’s very few people in life who say they enjoy going to work every day.

“I was never expecting to have a testimonial, it wasn’t something I’d thought about.

“I was a bit reluctant to accept it at first but Terry (Casey, co-owner) turned round and said, ‘Look, you’ve been involved here for 50 years, maybe 40 years actually working, so why not?’

“It’s a huge privilege, an honour, that the club have bestowed this on me.”

Williams, who turns 80 next month, spent a decade in South Africa and America before returning to manage United in 1982.

He led them to Alliance Premier title glory in 1984 - now the National League - and oversaw promotion to the Football League as general manager in 1989.

He briefly managed the Stones in their final year as a Football League side before going